Wallflower
by theSNKoreo
Summary: A very short one-shot. Rated T for language (because we all know how Levi is like). Armin must resolve his unexpressed feelings towards Annie.


**DISCLAIMER**

WALLFLOWER

"Do you think Eren is fine?" Mikasa suddenly asked.

The two of them had been walking side-by-side near the grounds where they had first declared themselves officially apart of the Survey Corps along with some of the members of the 104th Trainee Squad. They would be embarking to the place where Eren was being held at tomorrow.

Armin turned his head, but they both did not stop walking. Although Mikasa was staring straight ahead, he could see that her dark eyes had softened slightly and her tips of her pale cheeks were rosy. _Certainly not from the warm weather_, Armin thought.

He smiled at her. "Of course he is! Knowing Eren, he`d probably turn into a titan if any of them tried to hurt him," joked Armin lamely. Yet, it seemed like Mikasa was not falling for Armin`s enthusiasm.

Wisps of her raven-black hair blew forward in the breeze. Mikasa abruptly stopped, curling her hands into fists. She was glaring ahead.

"If I could, I`d teach that pipsqueak a lesson for kicking Eren!" she angrily growled.

_Uh-oh. _It was going to take a while for Armin to calm her down. He secretly wished that they hadn`t left the stables so soon.

"Mikasa-chan," Armin tried reasoning. "Levi only did that to save him. You don`t think he`d have done that on purpose?"

"He sure as hell didn`t look the least bit affected when he hurt Eren!"

"I`m sure that was all an act. He had to make sure that the Military Police were taking him seriously."

"How can anyone that shorty seriously?" she grunted, finally cooling down.

Armin laughed. "Well, you and Eren take me seriously all the time."

For the first time in a long while, the corners of Mikasa`s lips turned upwards. It was a teeny smile, at the very least. "Because we trust you as our friend." Coming from Mikasa, it was a high compliment. "Like I said before, you have the ability to find the right solution. You saved Eren and me before. Why wouldn`t we take you seriously?"

Now, it was Armin`s turn to smile back. "Thanks, Mikasa-chan."

Almost as soon as he had said that, Mikasa`s expression began to change. "There_ is _another shorty I don`t entirely trust either though."

Armin`s eyebrows shot up. "Oh?"

Mikasa`s eyes darkened. "I`m glad she didn`t join the Survey Corps."

The blonde boy chuckled nervously. _Ah. _"You don`t think she`d make a good rival?"

Mikasa didn`t respond. Instead, she turned to face the forest again. Armin followed her gaze. Apparently the rest of the 104th graduation class who didn`t join the Survey Corps were playing some sort of game in the forest. Among them, he saw Annie.

Armin could feel the heat slowly creeping up to his cheeks. He looked away from her instantly.

"Armin," Mikasa said finally. Her tone was quiet. "Let`s go." Before he could protest, she had grabbed his right hand and was now pulling him with her back to the stables.

Not resisting the temptation, Armin threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Up until this point, Annie had appeared bored and withdrawn from her fellow Military Police companions. She was most definitely not the life of the party, and it seemed like she was not interested in making new friends.

Now, Annie was staring at Armin and Mikasa.

Armin blinked, not understanding why he felt his heart flutter.

**...**

"C`mon, Armin!" exclaimed Eren. It had been a day after they had reunited. "You haven`t been acting yourself ever since you got here! Don`t tell me Mikasa`s influenced you!"

Armin was busy staring down at the palms of his hands while Mikasa was leaning against the brick wall across from the two best friends.

"It`s Annie," she finally said.

Eren looked up at her. "Huh?" Then he turned back at Armin. His face broke out into a grin. "Oh—I see! You _like like_ her, don`t you?"

A familiar voice near them grunted. "How old are all of you brats? Ten?" Armin reddened with embarrassment when he saw that Lance Corporal Levi had entered the room. "Erwin hit a new low with recruiting kids into fighting titans." He took a seat at the rectangular brown table, the candlelight illuminating his face. "Then again, if you`re using words like `_like like_`, then you`ve already hit rock bottom."

"C-captain!" stammered Eren. He did the salute with his hand over his heart, but Levi stopped him.

"I thought you little shits were cleaning down here. What the fuck happened to that plan?"

Levi seemed serious, but there was a glint in those steel-gray eyes of his. "Listen brat, there`s no room for love in this Titan-killing business."

"It`s not Armin`s fault," snapped Mikasa, defending the boy. "She won`t stop making eyes at him."

Armin wanted to protest at the idea, but better of it. Still, all Annie had done was simply cast her eyes in his direction to acknowledge his presence.

Levi snorted. "So she wants to get into his pants."

Eren stared at them in confusion, his eyebrows raised. "Why does Annie want to try on Armin`s pants?"

Armin stared at Eren in shock. Levi blinked and turned to look at a surprised Mikasa. "I thought you of all people would have given him The Talk." Her face flushed at what the man was hinting at.

Levi sighed. "They don`t pay me enough for this."

For the next while, Eren listened attentively while Mikasa slipped away from the room silently.

"Oh!" Eren exclaimed. "Now I get it!"

Levi blinked.

While Eren spoke, Armin became mortified. "So that`s what all the noise was about last night. Looks like I wasn`t the only one not cleaning. I knew Petra had a thing for you, Heichou, but I never knew you—."

It was unfortunate that Mikasa wasn`t there to save Eren from the boot thrown at his face. Levi spoke a few more words—words that Armin would dare never to repeat, for even Eren was horrified at the level of cursing—and left. When Eren had finished fixing himself up, Armin made Eren swear that he wouldn`t utter a word about Levi`s personal life ever again.

**...**

They would be leaving the next day.

Armin had escaped from the Recon Corps headquarters in the morning by horse. All the while, he was thinking about what exactly to say when he met her.

Truth be told, Armin wasn`t exactly sure why he had felt the sudden desire to see Annie before he would leave on the mission outside the walls. Maybe it was because he would never see her again. Or perhaps it had to do with the fact that, since she had joined the Military Police, and he was not a member of the Survey Corps, their paths would not cross again for a long time. Nevertheless, even if Armin was not sure why he had felt the urge to say goodbye, he knew for certain that he wanted to see her again.

She was outside strolling when spotted her.

"ANNIE!" he shouted. Some of the civilians turned their heads to see what the commotion was about.

Annie froze, her back facing him. She knew that voice. She knew it like she knew the sound of her own heartbeat.

The horse galloped until Armin stopped it. He leapt off, breathing heavily. "Annie," he repeated, but slowly.

"What do you want?" She had not turned to face him still.

"I…I don`t know."

Now, Annie did turn her head to look at him.

Silence passed between them. Finally, Armin worked up the courage to speak. "I want to say goodbye."

"Is that all?" she replied emotionlessly.

"No—I want to tell you to take care of yourself," he responded, surprising her. "You`re a wallflower, Annie. You always were."

She stared at him.

"Just…promise me you won`t let anyone or anything bring you down," he said in a rush.

Annie half-smiled at him. "You`re a good person, Armin."

Armin chose not to correct her. He knew very well that a `good person` was a controversial term to him.

"Thanks," he replied instead. "So are you."

For some reason, that made Annie laugh. When she did, Armin laughed, too.

The laughter finally subsided and Armin waved. "Good luck, Annie! Take care!"

When she watched him get up onto his horse and head back, Annie knew that she would follow Armin`s advice like she had followed her father`s.

Not only that, but she would take care of him as well.


End file.
